Blackmail
by aleeshaone
Summary: Forbidden love between a teacher and his student, caught by someone unexpected. Will they stay together, or be torn apart? Rated M just in case
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic ever so please understand if it's not the best. But please review so I can get better! This takes place during "Funk" but Finn is not in love with Rachel in this story.**

Rachel stared at the ground, slumped down in her chair. She had barely spoken during Glee-for the first time ever-and now she looked on the verge of tears. Will stiffened. She was obviously still hurt that Jesse had dumped her. He tried not to feel angry. He had humiliated her in front of everyone and completely lied about his motives for dating her. But the only reason Rachel had started dating Jesse was so no one would get suspicious of her and Will. So why did she look so heartbroken?

It was bad enough when he's had to watch them together _every frickin' day_ like that perfect high school couple. Rachel had assured him day after day she had absolutely zero feelings for Jesse; he was simply there to protect Will, blah, blah, blah. And now here she was, looking like someone had just kicked her puppy to death.

"Rachel." Will said. She looked up. "I'd like to see you in my office."

She sighed, knowing what was coming. She had seen that jealous glint in his eye as he glared at her all through Glee rehearsal.

He shut the door behind them and began pacing in the small space. "You seem pretty damn upset that Jesse left."

She stared at him incredulously. "Of course I am. He was using me!"

"YOU WERE USING HIM!" Will roared suddenly.

Rachel flinched.

He took a deep breath. "Do you love him?"

She looked down. "It's not the easy."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yes, it is. Tell me, Rachel!"

Conflict raged in her big brown eyes. "No, I don't love Jesse. I care about him, yes. You've always meant the most to me but this still hurts!"

Will didn't know whether to be happy, sad, or pissed. Happy because Rachel loves him most. Sad because she still had liked Jesse. Pissed because Jesse had hurt her.

"You told me you didn't like him at all. You said he was awful, and that you wished you didn't have to date him. How long have you been lying to me?"

She looked at him, pleading with her eyes that he'd understand. "A few weeks after he asked me out, I began to develop feelings for him. But they're nothing compared to how I feel about you! I swear, Will, you mean more to me than Jesse ever could. I am so, so sorry."

He turned her back to her and ran a hand through his hair. "So, what, you just thought it'd be okay to have a fling with the teacher while you dated someone more realistic? You'd have someone to show off, take you to prom, get married..."

Rachel leapt out of the chair. "_No!_ Will, no! Please, it wasn't like that."

She reached for him and he flinched away from her hand. Her eyes filled with hurt.

"I want you to do be all those things. Jesse was the fling; _you're_ the one I want. Please, I'm so sorry!"

Will spun back around with wide eyes. "You'd want to marry me?"

Her lips parted and she stammered. "I... well, um, yeah."

"Will you stay with me?" the childish question fell from his lips before he could stop it.

Rachel looked up at him, eyes sparkling with tears. "I'll always want to be with you, Will. I can get over Jesse. You're, you're everything to me."

Will relaxed a little and stroked her cheek gently. "I'll always need you."

She stood, seeking the safety of his arms. He understood and enclosed her in a hug. He kissed her head, her cheek, moving closer to her lips.

Rachel lifted her head, letting him know he could kiss her. Will did and was instantly entranced by her soft, full lips moving in sync with his own. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to him. He let his tongue slip into her mouth, playing with hers. Rachel ran her fingers through his curls, causing Will to pull her tight against his body.

"Well, well what do we have here?"

They sprung apart to find none other than Jesse St. James with a sneer on his face. "Here I was, just looking for Mr. Shuester and look what I found!"

Rachel looked terrified. "J-jesse, what are you doing here?

Will glared at him. "What do you want, St. James?"

"Hmm, what do I want?" Jesse mused. "Rachel."

"What are you talking about? You dumped me!" she exclaimed.

Will smirked satisfactorily at her obvious distaste.

"Yeah, well I never really got what I wanted, did I?" he remarked running his hand up her thigh. "All that 'I'm not ready' crap but it was really 'cause you were banging your teacher."

Will slapped Jesse's hand away from Rachel. "Not a chance in hell."

"Didn't your mommy ever teach you to share?" Jesse mocked.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered. "I thought you cared about me."

Jesse snickered. "It was a _job_, babe. Gotta kill the competition- you should understand that. But you're actually pretty hot, so _I_ think I deserve a little reward for this."

Her face contorted with rage, "How dare you! I can't believe I ever saw something in you."

"Listen, either I get Rachel or Shue get fired and jailed, while she gets expelled."

Will clenched his fists wanting nothing more than to punch Jesse St. Jackass right in his smug face.

Rachel's expression morphed into horror as she considered what he had said. "I'll do it."

"Great. Pick you up at nine, babe." He leaned forward. "Wear something sexy, okay?" Jesse walked out the door laughing.

Tears were running down her face but she barely noticed.

He stared at her, shocked. "How the hell can you agree to this?"

"I have to, Will!" she cried. "I can't let you get in trouble for us, not ever! They don't understand; I can't let them take you away."

HIs eyes brimmed with tears. "You love me that much?"

"Yes." she answered without hesitation. He grabbed her into a second hug, but for very different reasons than the first.

"I don't want him to touch you." Will whispered into her hair. Rachel held him closer.

"I know. Me neither."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone and thanks so much for all the reviews! Please keep reviewing :) And sorry this took so long to update but I am having some problems with my computer.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters or anything else from Glee.**

Rachel sat statue-like next to Will on the sofa. Her face was hard and emotionless, adding to the intense guilt he was feeling. It was _his_ fault. She was doing this to save his ass, and he was letting her. _How selfish can you get?_ Will thought, hating himself. He should've seen this coming. He had never like that kid. Granted, he'd been dating his girl, but Jesse had always been a little off.

"Where are your fathers?" he finally asked.

Rachel looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. "They're visiting my aunt. They'll be back sometime tomorrow."

Will flinched at her monotone attitude and denial of eye contact. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. I never meant for any of this to happen." he blurted out. "I'm sorry you have to do this for me, I'm sorry I'm such a bad boyfriend, I'm sorry for everything!"

Boyfriend didn't feel like the right word, but he couldn't think of what else to call himself. She looked taken aback, but at least she was meeting his gaze.

"Please don't hate me." he whispered.

At that Rachel's mouth fell open. "_Hate_ you? I could never!"

Will stared at her in confusion. "Then why are acting so cold?"

She bit her lip. "I don't want Jesse to have me, ever. But I don't blame you for this! You risk your job, going to jail, just to be with me. I can make sacrifices, too."

Will realized what she meant. She wanted to prove what he meant to her, that it was important. He internally groaned; he thought he had made it clear to Rachel that she was worth everything he did for her. He took her face in his hands, staring into the deep brown eyes he loved so much.

"But you shouldn't have to."

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "I should get ready."

Will grimaced and followed her up the stairs.

Will sat on Rachel's bed, waiting and silently dying. She was going to sleep with Jesse. So he wouldn't get fired. Or arrested. He didn't want that asshole within 100 miles of Rachel. Will had already slept with Rachel, sure, but it had meant something. It was because he loved her, not because he was some sick pervert like Jesse. The first time they had had sex was on their 1-month anniversary, after he had finally gotten up the guts to tell Rachel he loved her.

Will froze when she trudged back into her bedroom. A red minidress barely covered her thighs and clung to her like a second skin. The black stilettos made her tan legs look miles longer. Red lipstick covered her full lips and sparkly eye shadow was smeared across her lids. Rachel looked sexy. Really sexy. Then Will remembered who it was for.

"You're wearing _that_?" he cried.

Rachel nodded and began to cry. _Oops_.

"Rach, I'm sorry," Will murmured, pulling her into his arms. "I'm just so unhappy."

The understatement of the year. Rachel held him close.

"I know," she sobbed. "And I'm so scared, Will."

He felt a pang to his heart; Rachel was scared and there was nothing he could do. That hurt to know.

"I had to wear this," she whimpered. "He told me I _had_ to."

There was an impatient beep outside and they both stiffened.

"Goodbye, Will." Rachel choked out.

He grabbed and her and crushed their lips together, kissing her with all the love, anguish, and passion he felt. Then he broke apart from her, glaring.

"Don't you _dare_ say it like that." Will growled.

She nodded, kissed him again quickly and ran out the door. Will felt weak and sank to the floor. He grabbed one of her pillows to muffle his mouth, and screamed.

WxR

Jesse kissed her lips roughly, not sweetly and lovingly like Will did. He had taken her to some cheap motel called Billy's. All Rachel wanted was to run back to Will, but she knew she couldn't. She closed her eyes and hoped he would just get it over with. She wouldn't kiss him back and he was getting frustrated.

"C'mon Rach, I know you want this," he leered at her.

"Don't flatter yourself." Rachel spat.

Jesse slapped her across the face and she clutched at her burning cheek.

"Learn some respect, Rachel." he said calmly, as if they'd been having a pleasant conversation.

Fear constricted her throat. Jesse obviously wasn't afraid to hurt her. _Get out of here!_ Her brain screamed. He pushed her onto the bed, grinning at her frightened expression.

WxR

Will sat on the front step staring intensely down the dark road. They had to be back soon. A silver car zoomed up the street and slammed to a stop in front of the house. Will shot up as he saw Rachel being shoved out the door and she fell onto her lawn.

"Bastard!" she shrieked.

He ran over as fast as possible. "Rachel! Are you alright? Did he hurt you badly?"

She bit her swollen lip. "I'm okay."

She was wincing, so without a thought Will lifted her in his arms to carry her inside. She laid her head against his chest as he carried her to the sofa. With the light, she looked ten times worse. Bruises covered her skin. Blood trickled from her mouth and from cuts on her arms. Her dress was ripped and torn, her hair a rumpled mess. He sucked in a low gasp.

"I'm going to murder that son of a-" he was shouting but Rachel shook her head.

"I'm fine, Will. Don't make him mad." Her voice was eerily serene as she tried to hold herself together for him.

Will took a deep breath. He gently picked Rachel up to set her in his lap and delicately kissed each bruise on her face while holding her tight.

"I shouldn't have let you go tonight. This is all my fault."

Rachel stiffened. "Stop saying that! It's _his _fault!"

He stroked her hair softly, not wanting to upset her further. "It's gonna be okay, sweetheart. I love you. We're gonna be fine."

Rachel felt safe and warm in his arms, but the memories kept rushing back. Things she desperately wanted to forget. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting another tear fall as she choked out four words that broke his heart.

"He _hurt_ me, Will."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, thanks for all the comments! So I've decided to make this five chapters; it might change but that's what I'm aiming for. (Not 5 chapters anymore, I underestimated the length sorry!)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.**

Will woke up to the sound of Rachel whimpering next to him. He touched her arm gently to try and wake her, and she began thrashing and shrieking.

"No! Don't touch me! _Stop!_"

He grabbed her wrists, attempting to calm her. "Rachel! Wake up, it's just a nightmare. Baby, wake up!"

She jerked awake, her eyes wide as she realized where she was.

"Oh. Will…"

Tears were streaming down her face before she could even blink. He pulled her into his arms and she buried her face in his chest.

Will whispered soothingly in her ear. "Oh, Rachel, shh, it's okay, I'm here, I'm right here. You're safe now,"

When she quieted he kissed the top of her head and stood up.

"What do you want for breakfast? I'll make anything."

"I'm not really hungry," Rachel said quietly.

He frowned. She needed to eat something. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll make some toast?"

She nodded and he walked downstairs.

As he threw the whole grain bread (the only kind they had) in the toaster, he thought about Rachel. And Jesse. Every time he thought about it, he wanted to rip Jesse's head off. Yet he couldn't tell who he was angrier at- Jesse or himself. "Asshole," Will muttered to himself, still unsure of whom he was talking to. He spread some jelly on the toast and put both pieces on a plate for them.

He headed back to her room and almost dropped the plate at Rachel's appearance. She was wearing an oversized gray sweatshirt and baggy black sweatpants with white sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore no makeup except for some cover-up to try to hide the marks and bruises. It wasn't exactly typical Rachel fashion. He tried not to look shocked; he knew why she'd done it.

Will cleared his throat. "Here's your toast."

She silently nibbled on it while he threw on his work clothes.

During the car ride they both remained quiet. Rachel rested her head on his shoulder with a small, sad smile, as if to make _him_ feel better. It actually made him feel worse. He parked the car in the staff lot and took her hand.

"Are you ready?"

She reached in her pocket with her free hand and put on a pair of huge black sunglasses, effectively hiding the dark purple marks around her right eye.

"Let's go."

Will reluctantly dropped her hand as they as they walked toward the school in case someone noticed. When they entered the hallway he could practically hear the jaws dropping as people took in Rachel's outfit. He saw Karofsky laughing and wanted to scream "She's been through enough without you asses!" But he knew he couldn't.

"I'll see you later, Rach. Kay?" Will whispered.

Rachel's face fell a little and his heart sank.

"Okay. See you later."

WxR

**Rachel's POV**

The day was blurring by. I barely noticed the stares or the whispers. I couldn't even remember what we did in math and it was just last period. Not a second went by without me seeing a flash of what happened last night. All I wanted to do was run into Will's arms, the only place I feel safe anymore, but he had a meeting my free period. I was snapped out if my thoughts by a freezing slushy hitting me straight in the face. Karofsky watched my face eagerly, waiting for me to get angry, to yell- his favorite part of slushying someone. But all I did was stare back blankly, not feeling the ice against my skin. I just didn't care anymore. I started to walk away when I heard someone else shouting at him.

"What is wrong with you? Can't you see she's already having a bad day?"

"God, whatever!" he snapped, storming off.

I turned around to see who in the world had wanted to defend me. My mouth fell open in shock- probably the most emotion I had felt all day. It was Quinn Fabray. She hesitantly made her way over to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"D o you care?" I retorted bitterly.

She sighed. "Look, Rachel, I'm not proud of how I treated you. I'm really sorry, honestly. I know what it's like now, to feel unpopular, out of place. I shouldn't have done that to you."

She seemed earnest so I decided to believe her. I didn't have the energy to argue her motives anyway. "It's okay."

Quinn smiled softly. "Do you have anything to change into?"

I cringed. "I don't want to change."

She studied my face. "What's wrong?"

I gritted my teeth. "Nothing."

"Liar." She stated. "You can tell me, Rachel."

I didn't know why but I wanted her to know. To help.

"I'm dating this guy I shouldn't be," I blurted out. I'd have to fudge the truth a little for Will's sake. "And Jesse found out. He threatened to tell everyone if I didn't sleep with him. So I did and…"

I took of my glasses and rolled up my sleeves. Quinn's eyes bulged at the bruises and cuts on my face and arms.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

She hugged me and I felt a little better.

"You can't tell anyone." I told her as I put my glasses back on and yanked down the sleeves.

"I won't," she promised. "But…Jesse did this to you?"

I nodded slowly.

"He seemed so harmless," she shook her head. "Sketchy, but not dangerous. "

"He's vile." I told her honestly.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Rachel, about this guy you're seeing…"

There was curiosity in her eyes.

"I can't tell you about him." I said quietly.

She nodded in understanding and dropped it.

We were walking down the hallway when I saw Will at the other end. _Damn._ He couldn't even hold my hand because Quinn was here.

"Hey, Rach. Hi, Quinn." He smiled only at me, falling into step with us. "Rachel, what's on your sweatshirt?" he asked with concern.

I looked down at the forgotten slushy remains that had dripped down my clothes. "Oh. Slushy."

His lips pressed into a hard line and I sent him a warning glance. He couldn't act all defensive with Quinn right next to us.

"Quinn, I'm gonna hit the ladies' room."

She promised to save me a seat at lunch and Will quickly kissed my cheek when her back was turned. Despite everything, it still made blood rush to my face and my heart skip a beat.

I stepped in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at myself sadly. Behind my reflection Jesse smirked at me. I gasped and whirled around.

"Nice outfit," he scoffed.

A flash of fear rushed through me. "What do you want, Jesse? We already met your conditions."

He smiled. "Who said I was done? There's something else you have to do."

My eyes widened. _More?_ It was a nightmare. A living nightmare.

As I spoke, I fought to keep the tremor out of my voice. "What else?"

Jesse leaned in close, putting his lips right next to my ear. "Break Shuester's heart."

I froze; my mouth hanging open in horror. _No, no, no, this isn't happening…_

"You can't tell him I told you to, or try to make it easy. I want you to tell him you don't love him anymore. And stay away from him except in Spanish and Glee when you have to see him or I _will_ send his ass to jail."

My chin trembled as I held back tears. "No! _No!_ I'll sleep with you again, I'll quit Glee, anything! Please, please…" The sobs burst out as Jesse walked away.

WxR

Will found her in his car, staring miserably at nothing. "Rachel! Where the _hell_ have you been? You weren't in Spanish, no one else had seen you; I was so worried! You…what happened?"

Rachel hadn't even looked up when he got in the driver's seat and stared yelling at her. Last time he had seen her she had been with Quinn and had looked a lot better. She now had red, puffy eyes, she was trembling, and her expression was heartbreaking. He forget all about his anger, concern filling his features.

"Rach…talk to me." Will lifted up her chin to look her in the eyes.

"Can you drive me home?" she asked in a monotone voice.

He blinked. "Your dads…"

"Won't be back until seven." She finished.

He sighed and started the engine.

Once they got to her house Rachel walked straight up to her room. Will followed her and shut the door behind him. She just stared at him, like she was drinking him in.

"Rachel. I don't understand; why won't you tell me what happened?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she stepped closer and kissed him. He kissed her back, confused. When she began to undo his shirt buttons he broke away in surprise.

"Do you really want to do this now?" he asked in shock.

Will was so bewildered. She had barely said two words in the car and now _this_? After Jesse he thought she wouldn't be ready until months later, maybe longer. He stared at her, trying to read her face.

Rachel bit her lip. "Please, Will. There's been so much hurt today and yesterday. I just want to feel love, to forget for a while."

He didn't see that there was more to it. He stepped closer to her, and gently caressed her cheek.

"Whatever you want, Rach."

Will kissed her softly and let all their pain melt into bliss for just a while.

**Ok so I wrote a prequel to this story of how Will and Rachel originally fell in love... I want to edit it some more but I'll try to get it up soon. PLEASE REVIEW it helps A LOT**

**Thanks! :)**

**-Leesh**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is a little longer than usual- there was a lot to put in! Thanks again for the awesome reviews, you guys make writing even more fun! :) :) Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of the characters in it.**  
Rachel paced in the hall near Will's office, desperately wanting to run back home. She had to break his heart or Jesse would send him to jail. She took a deep breath. This would _save_ him. She had to do this. She heard a snicker and whipped around to see Jesse standing behind her.

"Don't you ever go to Carmel?" she snapped.

He ignored the question. "So, I take it you're here to do what I asked?"

She blinked back tears. "Yes."

Jesse smiled wider. "Good. And I'll be listening so don't try anything funny."

Rachel stepped into the small office, shutting the door behind her.

"Will, we need to talk."

His beaming smile faded when he saw the expression on her face. It was hard to describe. Will could see a million emotions in her deep brown eyes. Sadness. Determination. Hopelessness. Anger. Pain.

"About what? Did I do something?" he asked anxiously.

The tears filling her eyes started overflowing.

"No, Will. You didn't do anything." Rachel sniffled. "I did."

Will waited, confusion flickering in his eyes. There was silence as she tried to find the right words.

"I-I should never have dated you!" she blurted out. "This can never work! I'm a student, you're a teacher. I'm sixteen and you're thirty!"

He winced at her words. He had always known their relationship was wrong but somehow Rachel had always made it seem okay.

"I can't be with someone there's no future with. I care about you so much, Will, and I want you to be happy. And I don't think I can make you happy, especially with you risking going to jail and losing your job over me." Her words rang with conviction but her heart ached to take it all back. "Look where it's gotten us. I was _raped_. This just isn't working."

She looked at the floor- Will's expression of shock and pain was unbearable.

"I didn't realize you felt that way," he said quietly.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Tears streaming down her face, a sob caught in her throat, Rachel turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Will." She whispered.

As Will stared at her back going through the doorway he knew it wasn't just to go to class. Rachel walking out the door meant she was gone, forever. He would only be her teacher, nothing more. And after her senior year, she would move away. Something inside him snapped. Her hand was on the doorknob and Will suddenly yanked her arm back and slammed the door.

"Wait, wait," he pleaded desperately. "You're not just some girl to me! You _do_ make me happy, every day!" He put his hand on her cheek. "When you smile and laugh, when you sing, even when you just talk to me. I love you, Rachel, so much. And I know I can get in trouble from this but you are worth it!" Tears were falling from Will's eyes now, too. He dropped his face so it was level to hers. "Please don't leave me." He whispered.

Rachel was crying even harder as she violently shook her head. He was making it _so hard_ to do this, worse than it was before.

"I can't," she choked out.

He gripped her shoulders. "You can, we can do this! I swear I'll find a way to make Jesse stop; I won't let him hurt you again! Why do you think you can't?"

She knew there was only one thing she could say to make him let her go. She had been avoiding it, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. She took a deep breath, and broke her own heart.

"I just don't love you anymore."

Will's hands slipped off of her. Rachel forced herself to look in his eyes, to not give away the lie. He looked broken. More tear s welling in his eyes, the inevitable pain in his features.

"What about last night?" he asked roughly.

"I was just trying to see if I could still feel the same way," How many lies was that? Had one word of truth slipped off her tongue?

Will nodded. "I'll just-just," his voice cracked. "let you go now."

Rachel looked down to hide the anguish in her expression and walked unsteadily out the door.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice thick.

She ran past a smug Jesse, desperate to just get out of here as soon as possible when she ran smack into Finn.

"Hey, Rach, what's wrong?" he asked with concern.

She tried to speak and failed, shaking with sobs. He hugged her tightly until she was quiet.

"I'm sorry, Finn," Rachel whispered.

"What happened?" he pressed.

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it,"

He frowned. "Alright,"

Finn was still a close friend, but it wasn't like she could tell him about Will. He wouldn't understand. Quinn saw Rachel and Finn from down the hall and she was walking towards them fast. She knew Jesse must've done something- Rachel had disappeared yesterday and now she was bawling her eyes out. She reached them.

"Rachel, want me to drive you home?" Quinn asked softly.

Finn looked back and forth at them, confused. He thought they hated each other.

"Don't we have three more periods?" he asked instead.

Quinn nodded. "Well, I don't think Rachel is feeling up to it today."

Finn was wary but he agreed. "Um, okay, Rach, call me if you need anything."

Rachel attempted a smile. "Thanks, Finn."

Quinn walked her out of the school towards the car. They both sat down, but she didn't start it.

"What did he do?"

She looked up at Quinn. "He made me tell Will I didn't love him anymore."

Rachel was so devastated she didn't even care she had said Will's name.

Quinn's eyes filled with sympathy. "Oh, Rach…come here."

Rachel rested her head on Quinn's shoulder, her eyes finally dry. "I think I ran out of tears," they laughed half heartedly.

Quinn walked her to her car and drove toward Rachel's house. "Are you're dads home?"

She shook her head. "They're at work until 4."

Once they arrived Rachel headed straight to her bedroom and collapsed on the bed. Quinn sat next to her and rubbed her back in a comforting manner. "It's gonna be okay,"

Rachel looked at her incredulously. "How the hell is it gonna be okay? I just told the love of my life that I don't want him anymore, Jesse could still blackmail me anyway, and I feel like absolute shit! How is that _okay_?"

Quinn sighed. "I know. I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"I know, I'm sorry," she mumbled into a pillow. "But I don't think that's going to happen."

They sat in silence for a moment until Quinn spoke up again. "I don't understand what you and Will did that was so terrible. I mean, Jesse has told you to do awful things and you just do them! Is Will like an axe-murderer or something?"

Rachel rolled onto her back and looked at her. "I just can't tell you."

"But why?" she argued. "Rachel, you know I'd never tell anyone or hurt you with it, I'm just trying to understand!"

"Well, stop!" she snapped at Quinn. "Will is a good man and he doesn't deserve to lose everything over me."

Quinn blinked. "Lose everything? Why would he lose everything for dating you? Wait…How old is he?"

Rachel didn't respond, just stared stubbornly at the ceiling as tears began streaming down her cheeks again.

"Rach…You know a relationship like that could never work."

Rachel let out a sob. "I know, okay! But I just loved him _so much_…I thought it could be different for us." She closed her eyes. "I've never felt so strongly for someone, Quinn. He put everything on the line just so he could be with me. I will do anything to make sure he stays safe. Even if it means breaking my own heart."

Quinn had started crying with her. She wrapped her arms around Rachel and they cried in each other's shoulders, shaking with sobs.

WxR

Will stared at the wall from his spot on the bed. He had skipped the end of school, unable to face anyone. Figgins would probably dock his pay or something. Who cared? He didn't, not anymore. Rachel's sudden announcement had drove him to a final conclusion: love sucked. He had loved Terri and what happened? She turned into a complete bitch and lied about their child. Then he loved Rachel even more and she had left him. What had she said? _I want you to be happy. _He wondered where she had heard dumping someone on their ass makes them happy. The worst part was he wasn't even angry at her! He was trying to figure out what he had done. Will went over it in his head. He had been there for her when Jesse hurt her, he'd always tried to make her happy, he'd loved her…What went wrong? What made her not love him anymore? His gut twisted when he thought about the last question. Maybe she realized the whole blackmail thing was his fault and she'd grown to hate him. But Rachel wasn't the sort to hide her feelings. Hide…She had been hiding something yesterday! She wouldn't tell him what had happened. He forgot when they were making love but he remembered so clearly now. Her face had been pale, full of anger and pain. _Something_ happened yesterday that changed everything. That made her not love him. She didn't love him. Another tear slid down Will's cheek and he wiped it away quickly. He had cried more today than he ever had before. Only Rachel could make him so vulnerable. He glanced over at the small satin box on the nightstand, the one that had taken months of saving (plus some more from his bank account) to afford. He opened it up and practically fell apart when he saw the little sparkling diamond on top of a solid gold band. It hadn't been an engagement ring- she was too young to even consider marriage, especially with _him_. It had been a promise ring, to show her that Will loved her and was serious about their relationship. That he wasn't going to go anywhere; he knew Rachel used to worry he'd leave her. The sobs burst out uncontrollably and he buried his face in his pillow, trembling.

WxR

Quinn and Rachel spent the rest of the afternoon talking about anything but Jesse or Will. They talked about school, Glee, family, their lives before they had become friends.

"I haven't had many close friends." Quinn said at one point.

"That's not true!" Rachel protested. "You have a million friends."

Quinn smiled sadly. "No. I had a million people who hung around me because I was popular. Now that I'm not, I can see who my true friends are."

At 4:15 pm the front door clicked open and her dads clumped up the stairs.

"Rach?"

"I'm in my room!" she called.

They stepped in and looked at Quinn, surprised.

"Who is this?" Leroy asked.

"This is my friend, Quinn Fabray." Rachel answered calmly and Leroy and Hiram exchanged a look.

Quinn and Rachel could see memories of Rachel's many accounts of her flashing through their minds.

They both never less politely greeted her than spoke. "Sweetheart, can we please talk to you for a minute in the hallway?"

She nodded. "Excuse us, Quinn."

Quinn stood up and glanced around Rachel's room. It was pink and girly; a little much for her taste but it suited Rachel's personality perfectly. There were a few pictures of her and her family and a few of Barbara Streisand. She stepped forward to examine a photograph when her foot hit a small shoebox. She picked it up curiously, noticing "WILL" written on the top. She opened it and picked through the box, extremely interested. There was a dried rose, sheet music for a song called _You Belong To Me,_ an old Spanish quiz (What?), tickets to some Broadway show, and a small piece of paper with his name and a phone number. She hesitantly glanced at the door before dialing the number. It had barely rung twice when he answered.

"Rachel?"

Quinn froze, her lips parting in surprise. She's heard that voice a hundred times; it was unmistakable. Suddenly, it all made sense. The blackmailing, the secrecy, the Spanish quiz. Rachel's Will was… Will Shuester.

WxR

Will had eventually stopped crying and resumed staring at the blank wall. The phone rang and he groaned. The last thing he wanted right now was to talk to someone. Regardless he checked the Caller ID. It was Rachel's house. He practically dove for the phone.

"Rachel?"

"Um…uh, it's Quinn actually."

His shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Oh. Wait, you're at Rachel's? How's she doing?"

He probably should've made an excuse as to why he was so excited to hear from Rachel but he didn't care at the moment.

"Oh, she's…okay."

What did okay after a long pause mean? Upset? Angry? With a new boyfriend? Will struggled not to ask any of these questions instead asking another inquisition that had him wondering.

"Why are you calling me, Quinn?"

She took a sharp intake of breath. "Um…I…It was a…wrong number?"

Her voice rose at the end as if she was asking.

He rolled his eyes in frustration. "I don't appreciate being lied to."

"I know I'm sorry Mr. Shue. I can't really explain."

He crinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean you-"

"I have to go." She interrupted suddenly and hung up.

Will sat there, listening to a dial tone in complete shock. What was _that _about? And Quinn was suddenly hanging out at Rachel's? He frowned, disliking his sudden lack of knowledge into Rachel's world.

It was only a matter of time before some boy swooped in and stole her heart. He would make Rachel fall in love with him with flowers and candy and serenades. Ugh. A strange thought abruptly popped into his head. _What if I could get her to love me _again_?_ He had done it once before, it couldn't be that difficult to do it again. Hope began building inside his chest even though he knew it was a pretty long shot. Will smiled for the first time since she had broken up with him. Tomorrow would be a big day…

**PLEASE REVIEW! And if you haven't, check out the prequel to this story You Belong To Me. Thanks for reading!**

**-Leesh**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! Sorry, school started (Sadly) and I got busy again. So, I am going to be editing the first few chapters because I really think I could've done better- just for a head's up. I'll try not to change a lot, just add more detail. Oh and thanks so much to my new beta MissElliexXxXx! Hope you guys like this chapter C:**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of the characters in it.**

"_Why are you calling me, Quinn?" _

"_Um…I…It was a…wrong number?" _

"_I don't appreciate being lied to." _

"_I know I'm sorry Mr. Shue. I can't really explain." _

"_What do you mean you-" _

"_I have to go."_

She pressed END fast, breathing hard. _Rachel and Mr. Shue?_ No one had seen that coming. How long had this been going on? Did anyone else know?

"Holy shit," Quinn breathed.

"Who were you talking to?"

Quinn spun around and gasped. Rachel was standing in her doorway, arms crossed and head tilted. She dropped the small piece of paper and it fluttered to the ground. Rachel picked it up with a confused expression, read it, and froze.

"You called him?" She screamed.

"Rachel, calm down." Quinn said as she slowly backed away. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself,"

"I told you it was a secret." Rachel seethed. "I told you anyone knowing is dangerous for him. I told you to leave it alone!"

Her face was turning red from anger and Quinn tried to explain, only to be cut off again.

"You just had to know, didn't you? Quinn Fabray needs to know everyone's secrets, even if it will hurt them! You haven't changed at all. You're still a giant _bitch!_"

At this point, Quinn had had enough. She knew what she had done was wrong, but she wasn't going to just stand here and let Rachel scream at her.

"_Shut up!_" she exploded. "I know you're in pain, and I know your life sucks right now but stop taking it out on me! I'm not going to tell anyone, and you know that. So, just _calm down!_"

Rachel sank onto her bed in defeat. She fell back until her head hit the pillow and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Quinn. I know you'll keep my secret, I trust you. It's been a long day."

Quinn laughed humorlessly as she sat next to her.

"Maybe you should take a nap or something," she suggested and Rachel closed her eyes.

"You can stay the night if you want," she mumbled a little while later, half-asleep.

Quinn smiled. "Thanks."

WxR

Will knocked on Rachel's door early Friday morning. He wasn't worried about her dads- they went to work at 5am every day except Sundays. The door opened, revealing a bleary-eyed teenager. She was still in her pajamas, her hair a mess, and dark circles under her eyes suggesting a sleepless night. He had never seen anything more beautiful.

"Will? What are you doing here?"

He thrust the bouquet of red roses in her hands; she liked classic romance. "For you. I also brought a song…" He began digging through his bag.

Rachel rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "Are you trying to _woo_ me?"

He glanced up at her shocked expression. "That's a little old-timey, but yes, in so many words."

Will watched her eyes flicker with something he couldn't understand. It almost looked like fear.

"Go home, Will." Her soft but firm words disarmed him.

"I think we can-"

"No! Please, you're making this worse than it needs to be. Just leave."

Rachel's lips trembled a little as she spoke, stepping back to shut the door. Quinn suddenly appeared behind her and put a hand on the doorknob.

"What's going on?"

Will was torn between winning Rachel back and not revealing himself to Quinn.

"I just…" he began and trailed off, noticing Rachel's guilty expression. "You told her?"

"No!" she protested. "She figured it out on her own! You know what, it doesn't even matter, Will. You really need to leave."

"WAIT!" He practically shouted. "Wait, there's something else,"

Will reached in his back pocket and pulled out the velvet box. He opened it in front of her and both girls gasped.

"It's a promise ring," he quickly explained. "That I'd never walk away, no matter how hard this gets. I know how I feel, and I know I will never stop loving you."

Waterfalls were cascading down her cheeks, a sight he had grown accustomed to in the last few weeks. "I can make you love me again, if you'll just give me a second chance. Please, Rachel."

He looked at her desperately, trying to read her eyes. Then, suddenly Rachel began to sob. Loud, choking gasps that ripped out of her throat. She sank to the floor in front of him and wept into her hands. Will, bewildered at the heart-wrenching cries, sat down next to her and attempted to console her. He stoked her hair gently, caressed her cheeks, kissed her forehead. He knew he was probably taking advantage of this moment to touch her, but it just felt so good to feel like she needed him. Quinn squatted next to them and soothingly rubbed Rachel's back.

"Rach…" Will began.

She pushed them both off and clambered to her feet, furiously wiping away tears.

"I-I…" Rachel stammered, looking torn.

She suddenly sprinted back into her house and Quinn ran after her, leaving Will alone on the doorstep. He felt so…so... _stupid_. Had he honestly believed that some flowers and jewelry would win him back her love? He walked miserably to his car, slamming the door behind him.

WxR

**Quinn's POV**

I walked down the hallway with Rachel, silently praying it wasn't what we thought. We had been called to the principal's office. If he had discovered anything about her and Mr. Shue…well, let's just say Jesse would be ecstatic. Her face was stony and silent, but I could see the emotions threatening to break free in her brown eyes. The bruises hadn't gotten much better; it had only been a few days (though it seemed so much longer). And I used to think my life was messed up! I was ashamed of how I used to treat Rachel. I was so pretentious and self-absorbed. If I had just gotten to know her, we would've been friends a long time ago. We finally reached the door and she took a deep breath. I squeezed her hand and knocked on the door. Principal Figgins opened it, revealing a nervous-looking Mr. Shuester already there.

_Shit._

"Take a seat, ladies." He offered in that weird accent that had always kinda bugged me. "Do you know why I've called the three of you here?"

Mr. Shue glanced over at Rachel, who shook her head stubbornly.

Figgins glared at us. "Fine. Miss Berry, you were seen coming out of William's office crying, yesterday afternoon. Then, you and Miss Fabray here got into a car and left during school hours. This is strictly against the rules, and I want to know what happened yesterday."

All three of us literally sighed in relief and the principal eyed us suspiciously.

"Will, did you say something to make her upset?" He probed.

Mr. Shue opened his mouth to answer but Rachel, being Rachel, beat him to it.

"No, not at all, Principal Figgins. I was already upset about something…personal, and went to Mr. Shuester for advice. He tried to help me, but I was just hopeless. So I left and begged Quinn to take me home. So, you see, this is purely my fault, and I apologize."

While she talked, we watched Figgins' face to see if he was buying it. His expression turned sympathetic and he nodded. _Score!_

"I see. Do you mind me asking what this personal problem was?"

Rachel shook her head. "I'm sorry, Principal Figgins, but I really can't."

Suddenly, the door opened behind us.

"Excuse me, but may I ask for a map of the school? I seem to be a little lost."

Oh. My. God.

Jesse was here. In the same room as us. Asking for a map? My eyes were wide, Rachel stiffened, and Mr. Shuester clenched his fists.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mr. Shue spat.

He smiled gaily. "I'm assisting some teachers here as part of my senior project at Carmel. Didn't Rachel ever mention it?"

The teacher's eyes narrowed as he shook his head. Figgins handed Jesse the map, completely unaware of the tension in the room.

"Thanks, Principal Figgins." Jesse lingered in the room. "How have you been, Rach?"

"Fine."

"How's Spanish? I know Mr. Shuester here is your favorite teacher. You always seem to be around him, huh, babe?"

I heard Mr. Shue's teeth clench together as he whipped around in his chair.

"Don't call her that."

Jesse's face darkened. "Excuse me?"

"You have absolutely no right to call her that after you…" He trailed off as Rachel sent him a pleading look.

"After I _what_?"

"Is something wrong here?" Figgins spoke up, looking puzzled. I almost rolled my eyes at his obliviousness.

"No, nothing at all," murmured Jesse, sending a final glance at Rachel, she shivered.

The principal started giving us a lecture about cutting class, but he promised to let us off the hook because Rachel had such a perfect track record. As he droned on, I had an idea. I just couldn't take this anymore! The lying, the secrets. I had learned from personal experience that dishonesty was never the way to go, even if the truth was terrible. And when I didn't have the guts to tell the truth, Rachel had for me. Now, I would do the same for her; even if it could potentially ruin our newfound friendship. I discreetly reached into my backpack and took out a random piece if blank paper. I quickly scrawled a note onto it, and then crumpled it in the palm of my right hand.

"Alright, you all can go now. Free period is almost over."

"Mr. Shuester?" I said quickly, before he could leave the office.

He looked up. "Yes, Quinn?"

"Thanks for helping Rachel yesterday. She's like my best friend and I'm glad we have a teacher like you."

Both Rachel and Mr. Shue stared at me like I was insane when I reached out my hand to shake his.

"Um, you're welcome…"

He took my hand hesitantly, and I pressed the paper into his hand. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion while I plastered a fake smile on my face.

"Bye, Principal Figgins!" I chirped dragging Rachel out of the room.

"What the hell were you talking about?" She hissed as we walked to Geography.

"Nothing, Rach, I was just elaborating on your story." I answered calmly.

She sighed, letting it go.

"That was unbearable," I could barely hear the whisper.

I held her hand tightly.

"I know."

WxR

By the end of last period, Rachel couldn't take it anymore. She kept shifting in her seat, desperate to leave. She barely told Quinn she needed some alone time before she sprinted out of that god forsaken school. Everything in it was a reminder of what happened, of what could happen. She got in the car and slammed on the gas, heading towards the one place she could go to really be alone. The playground. It probably sounded stupid to some people, but it was her sanctuary. She had been going there ever since she could remember. Over the years, the swings had rusted and the slide had cracks and dents. People stopped bringing their kids there but Rachel still came. She remembered being happy there, having her first friends, her first birthday party, even her first kiss. Whenever life became too much, she could always go there for comfort.

Once she arrived, she slowly walked through it, soaking in all the memories. Rachel sat on her favorite swing and leaned her head against the chain.

When had everything become so complicated?

Being with Will had been amazing. So amazing, she never thought about the possibility of getting caught. Everything had just been too perfect for that.

And then Jesse came, and it all came crashing down on her. Had she really ever liked him? _I liked what I thought he was, before he showed his true self._ And now, he had ruined her life. He had took Will away from her.

Her chin trembled and she took out her cell phone, dialing the number she dreaded most.

"Rachel? Well, this _is_ a pleasant surprise."

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. "Is there any way you'll let me have Will back?"

There was a sigh. "We've been over this, sweetheart. If you get back together, he's going to jail."

"Please, Jesse, I'm begging you! I'll do _anything_, I swear, please!" She cried desperately.

"You don't seem to understand, Rachel. All I want is YOU. We were good together, babe. We could've been something great, but you decided to go for the older guy. What does he have that I don't anyway? I'm handsomer, more talented, smarter, richer…"

She took a shaky breath. "You knew about us before?"

Jesse snickered. "Seriously? The way you drooled over him in Glee was disgusting. You two would practically undress each other with your eyes every meeting. But you could do so much better, Rach. C'mon, be with me instead. Forget about that loser."

Rachel felt a surge of anger. "Will is not a loser! He's a better man than you could ever be, and I will always love him with all my heart. I would never want to be with you, you egotistical, dim-witted, _blackmailing_ asshole!"

"THAT'S IT!" Jesse shouted, making her cringe. "You better start treating me better, slut, or he's out of here a lot sooner! Don't make this mistake again; I won't be so forgiving next time."

And he hung up. Rachel let her chin drop to her chest in defeat. This was useless. Jesse was never going to leave them alone.

"Rach?"

She lifted her head in shock. "_Will?_ How did you find me?"

He gave her a small smile. "Quinn told me you were going somewhere to be alone, and I figured that meant here. You took me here on our second date remember?"

She stared at him sadly. "Why are you here?"

Will sat in the swing next to her and silently handed her a crumpled piece of paper.

_Mr. Shue-_

_Rachel only broke up with you because Jesse made her. She still loves you, and she's miserable. She's gonna kill me for telling you, but I think you need to know. I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to both of you. I'll be here if you need any help._

_-Quinn_

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "That was a stupid thing to do."

He gently took her hand. "I don't think so."

She pulled away. "Will, this doesn't change anything. If we're together, Jesse will tell. We have to stay broken up, regardless of our feelings."

He grabbed her chin to make her look into his eyes. "Rachel…This changes everything."

She lost her ability to speak as he pulled her face to his and pressed their lips together. Her resistance melted away when his tongue met hers in the middle. She gripped his hair with passion, pulling him closer, as he caressed and cradled her face with his hands. Will moved his lips across her jaw, down her neck, leaving a fiery trail wherever his lips touched. He rested his face in the crook of her neck.

"I thought…I thought you didn't love me anymore. That you didn't want me."

He sounded broken, so broken her eyes filled with tears and she stroked his hair.

"No, no, I'll always love you, Will, I promise." Rachel told him earnestly, her voice choking up. "I'm so, so sorry!"

He pressed his lips to her neck again. "It's okay, baby. But I need you to stay with me, alright? I can't have you away from me, I need you here."

"We have to stop Jesse." She whispered.

Will raised his head, holding both her hands firmly. "I know, Rach."

"Three people know. You, me, and Quinn. And none of us know what to do." She bit her lip. "I think we should tell Glee club."

He started at her incredulously. "That will help? More people knowing? No, we can't."

"Think about it, Will!" she urged. "There's safety in numbers. And they won't tell anyone, they love you!"

"Rachel…"he sighed. "This is such a huge risk."

She squeezed his hands. "I know. But I'd rather take this risk, than know for sure we'll never be together."

He kissed Rachel's cheek. "You're right."

She smiled and moved to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you so much,"

Will held her in a tight embrace. "Me too, Rach. Me too."

**REVIEW S'IL VOUS PLAIT! (Yes I am French)**

**And remember, always tell me if you have an idea for the story or for a whole other story you think I should write. Thanks!**

**-Leesh**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry this took so long to update. Well, like every chapter takes long for me but I feel like it was more this time 'cause I really wasn't sure where to go with this for a while, but I like the way it ended up. Anyway this has a song in to (FINALLY) and I very much encourage listening to it to get the full effect. It's Twisted by Carrie Underwood. Oh, and remember when I said it would be five chapters? Yeah, I was way off! I'm trying to wrap it up so there'll probably be two or three more chapters. Hope ya like it!**

**P.S. I want to say thank you to Gothic Antagonist for helping me with ideas and just messaging me! You are awesome. **

**And thank you to my beta, Miss Ellie, you are also amazing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of its characters or the song Twisted.**

"Will?"

"Hm?" He responded, idly playing with a strand of her hair as she rested against his shoulder with his arms tightly around her.

She smiled at him. "I'd like to sing you something. I heard it on the radio the other day, and it reminded me of us."

Will's eyes brightened as he returned her wide smile. "I'd love to hear you sing. It's been a while,"

One of his favorite things in the world was hearing her sing directly to him. About him. It gave him butterflies (though he'd never admit it) the way she looked at him during it.

Rachel stood in front of him as he sat on the couch and began to sing.

_Baby, you're a wrecking ball_

_Crashing into me_

_Nothing I can do but fall_

_Piece by piece you broke down every part of me_

_That ever thought I'd never need you, baby_

_It's twisted, messed up_

_And the more I think about it_

_It's crazy, but so what?_

_I may never understand it_

_I'm caught up and I'm hanging on_

_I'm gonna love you even if it's wrong_

_Everybody's telling me_

_I'm over my head_

_But they don't feel you loving me_

_They all say that I've gone crazy_

_Maybe but it's too late now to save me_

_I'm too tangled_

_It's twisted, messed up_

_And the more I think about it_

_It's crazy, but so what?_

_I may never understand it_

_I'm caught up and I'm hanging on_

_I'm gonna love you even if it's wrong_

_Even if it's twisted_

_Maybe it's not right, but that's alright_

_Yeah, it's alright tonight_

_It's twisted, messed up_

_And the more I think about it_

_It's crazy, but so what?_

_I may never understand it_

_It's twisted, messed up_

_And the more I think about it_

_It's crazy, but so what?_

_I may never understand it_

_I'm caught up and I'm hanging on_

_I'm gonna love you even if it's wrong_

_Even if it's twisted_

_Even if it's, just a little bit, just a little but_

_Just a little twisted_

_Yeah_

_It's twisted_

_Yeah_

A tear ran down Will's cheek as he gazed up at her, in awe of how much she cared. Rachel stared back, wordless communication flowing through them. She practically attacked him, throwing her arms around him and snuggling her head into his neck. Will held her just as tightly as she held him and kissed her hair.

"Thank you." He said softly.

WxR

The Glee club was all gathered in Will's apartment, looking at each other curiously. None of them know why the teacher had called them there, on a _Saturday_, of all days. Rachel and Quinn were sitting close together on the couch, earning stares from most of their friends. Standing at the front of the room, Will cleared his throat nervously.

"Hey, guys, thanks for coming. So, you're probably wondering why we haven't had Glee lately. I asked you all here because I have some…news. I'm not really sure how to say this."

Kurt raised his hand. "Mr. Shue, is this about how you've been sleeping with Rachel?"

The entire room was silent for one second, and then filled with noise.

"_Sleeping with Rachel?"_

"For how long?"

"Rachel did something illegal?"

"How the hell did he get into Berry's pants when I couldn't?"

"Okay, okay!" Will called over the exclamations. "One, our relationship isn't just sex, its love. Two, Puck, _please_ never mention trying to get in Rachel's pants in front of me. Three, Kurt, how did you even know?"

Kurt scoffed, looking almost offended that they thought he wouldn't know.

Mercedes answered for him. "It was pretty obvious to Kurt and I when you two started having staring contests."

Rachel flinched, her memory of the phone conversation with Jesse running through her mind. _You two would practically undress each other with your eyes every meeting._

Will's eyes flashed over to her. "What's wrong?"

Everyone turned to stare and she forced a smile. "N-nothing. I'm fine. Um…so how does everyone feel about this?"

Will frowned, not believing her but Kurt spoke up before he could press the matter.

"Actually, I like you guys dating. Mr. Shue, you're a lot happier all the time. And Rachel, you're a lot easier to deal with ever since you got together. Less diva fits, less demanding for solos. I approve."

"As long as Rachel's happy, I'm happy." added Finn.

"Do you give her special treatment at school now?" asked Tina suspiciously. "'Cause she's, like, your girlfriend?"

"Absolutely not." Will assured her. "Rachel and I try to keep our relationship professional at school, and I'm never unfairly biased towards her."

"Why are you telling us this, Mr. Shue?" Santana asked in a bored tone. "If the dwarf wants to screw a teacher, then whoop-dee-do for her."

He sighed. "Santana, our relationship-"

"I don't really care," she interrupted him. "Can we like, leave now? Unlike most of you, I actually have a social life."

Overall, it seemed the Glee club was okay with them dating, excluding Santana, who didn't care and Brittany, who didn't really know what was happening.

"Look, you guys can't tell anyone, okay? My job and livelihood depends on it." Will pleaded, looking around to see the nods and agreements. "But, there's a little more,"

He explained the whole Jesse problem, trying to lighten the details of his first condition. At that part, all eyes scanned over the fading bruises on Rachel's skin. By the end, teeth were clenched, hands were fists, and everyone was thinking daggers towards Jesse.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" growled Finn. "Let's grab some kitchen knives and get the job done!"

Will nodded. "I agree. Let's go."

"No!" Rachel protested. "Things are already bad enough, you guys don't need to get charged for murder."

"Oh, and statutory rape is better?" sneered Puck.

Will stiffened and Rachel snapped. "That isn't funny, Noah."

She walked up to Will and rubbed his shoulder soothingly.

"Hey, I was just joking. Mr. Shue. I'm sorry," Puck said awkwardly, looking guilty.

Rachel put her hand on Will's cheek, urging his eyes to meet hers.

"I chose this, Will. I love you."

"I know, but sometimes it just feels like-"

"_I love you._"

He half-smiled. "I love you, too."

She stood on her tip-toes for a kiss, bracing her hands on his shoulders.

His eyes opened suddenly. "Everyone's watching us," He muttered against her mouth.

She pulled back, blushing.

The whole club was staring at them like they had just proclaimed Sue Sylvester was the new co-director of Glee.

"Um…could you guys kill the PDA while we're around please?" Mercedes asked for the group. "We may be okay with all this but it's still pretty creepy watching Rachel and our teacher making out."

Will chuckled. "Deal,"

"So…Mr. Shue and Rachel are together? And Jesse is hurting them?" Brittany clarified, tilting her head.

Santana nodded. "Jesse needs to be stopped, Britt, or he'll hurt them even more."

Rachel smiled at her, glad to see her will to help even though they weren't the closest of friends.

Brittany spoke up again. "So why can't we go to his house and ask him to stop?"

Mike rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head.

"That's actually not a bad idea," mused Rachel. "Not the asking him part, obviously, but going to his house. We could try to find some dirt on him; see if we can backfire his blackmailing."

"But isn't he home?" Tina wanted to know.

"No, every Saturday afternoon from 1:00-5:00 he goes to a spa for some 'down time'".

Puck snickered. "Wow."

As they made plans to sneak into his house in a few hours, Rachel absentmindedly played with the ring on her finger. Will noticed and grinned at her happily. She smiled back widely, her heart warming as she remembered the night before when he had given it to her.

WxR

_Clothes were scattered across the floor of Will's bedroom; both were bare to each other as they held one another close under the covers. Rachel rested her face against his chest and gently kissed the skin there. He sighed contentedly, tightening his arms._

"_Can we just stay right here forever?" she whispered._

_He smiled softly. "I wish. I'd love to just hold you for the rest of my life."_

_She snuggled in closer to him, closing her eyes._

"_Holy crap." Will breathed. "I completely forgot. I'm an idiot!"_

_He sat up abruptly and began fumbling through his nightstand drawer; Rachel pouted at the loss of contact. He pulled the ring out of its box, hesitantly offering it to her._

"_Will you take it now?"_

_Just like the last time, her eyes filled with tears, only now of happiness. "Of course, Will. It's so beautiful! It wasn't expensive, was it? I hope-"_

_He shut her up with a kiss, slipping it onto her ring finger on her left hand. Will gazed at her hand, grin growing wider. _

"_Now, all those jackasses who hit on you can see that you're taken."_

"_Oh, really?"_

"_Hate to break it to you, babe, but you're all _mine_."_

"_Is that so?" She smiled, moving her face close to his._

_His tongue darted out to lick her lip. "Yes."_

_Rachel kissed him for a moment, then teasingly pulled away as if she was about to get off the bed. He growled, looping his arms around her waist to yank her back and underneath him. _

"_Just where do you think you're going?"_

_She giggled. "Nowhere, apparently."_

_Will lowered his lips to hers with a devious glint in his eyes, continuing with their earlier activities._

WxR

"Sweetheart?"

His voice pulled her out of her reveries. "Huh?"

Will sat down next to her, curling an arm around her waist reflexively.

"Everyone went in the kitchen for a break and some snacks. What were you thinking about?"

Rachel's cheeks grew a little pink. "Last night."

He smirked for a second, and then grew serious. "Rachel, why did you cringe when Mercedes said we stared at each other a lot?"

"I told you, it's nothing." She repeated.

"We have to be honest with each other, here, okay?" He stared deep into her eyes. "Jesse's trying to drive a wedge between us and we can't let that happen."

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Will. You're right. I called Jesse yesterday, right before you came to the playground. I begged him to let me have you back and he refused. Then he said things about how he knew we were dating before because we would stare, and that he wanted to have me to himself. He called you a loser and I kinda exploded at him and he got angry. He said next time he wouldn't be so nice to me."

Will raised his eyebrows. "What'd you say?"

"I called him an egotistical, dim-witted, blackmailing asshole."

He laughed quietly. "That's my girl."

"But what are we going to do, Will?" Rachel pressed. "When he finds out we're back together, he'll annihilate us!"

"He isn't going to find out," Will promised, a hint of anxiety in his tone.

She glowered at him. "What happened to honesty? We have to be realistic. Chances are he _will_ find out, he will call the police, ruin both our lives-"

"Calm down, Rach," he interrupted, taking her hand.

"Will," she sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't…."

He placed his palm against her mouth, glaring.

"Don't. Don't you dare say that we should break up." Will said fiercely. "'Cause it's not gonna happen. There's no way I'm letting you go that easy, not again."

Rachel pushed herself closer to him, and he pulled her onto his lap.

He kissed her hair and murmured into her ear. "I won't let him hurt you again, Rach. I promise."

"Will, it wasn't your fault."

"I just stood aside and _let_ Jesse hurt you," He closed his eyes.

She gently caressed one cheek and pressed her lips softly to the other. "I don't blame you."

"I do." He placed his hand over hers to hold it to his face. "I love you, Rachel, and I'll always be trying to make this up to you."

She smiled half-heartedly, knowing there was no way she could convince him he didn't need to.

WxR

"I can't believe you picked the lock," Rachel hissed as she and Puck climbed the stairs in Jesse's empty house. "How many houses have you broken into?"

He rolled his eyes. "I got us in, didn't I? Just chill out, Rachel."

She smiled at him, her eyes warming. They reached the top and he noticed her expression.

"What?"

"You called me Rachel," she said softly.

Puck groaned. "Jesus, Berry, don't get all emotional on me. Show me the asshole's room, will ya?"

She pointed to the room marked with the giant gold letters JSJ, reluctantly following as Puck entered. A horrified gasp escaped her lips as she stared wide eyed at the room of the boy who had practically ruined her life. There were still things from the last time she had been there- the trophies, the humongous mirror, the plasma TV. But what was different was the walls. Photographs covered almost every inch of the white surfaces. Pictures of Rachel. Through her window, _changing_, in the car, with Will, on her way to school; they were countless.

"Oh, my God," Puck breathed.

Her breath hitched in her throat, obviously trying to hold it together. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm soothingly.

"Did you guys find anything?" Will's voice floated inside the room.

Rachel's eyes widened. "We can't let him see this. He'll have an aneurysm!"

Puck ran to the doorway, blocking Will's path. "Nope, nothing in here. Let's check downstairs."

"Is Rachel in there?" Will asked, trying to step around him.

Puck stopped him with a hand. "Yeah, she's going down, too. Let's go."

Will stared at him. "Move out of the way."

"Really, Mr. Shue-"

"_Move out of the way, Puck_." he cut Puck off, eyes narrowing.

Puck moved aside, mouthing _Sorry_ to Rachel, who gave him a nervous look. Will stepped into the large space, slowly taking it all in. When his hands began to shake Rachel grabbed his arm.

"Will-"

He let out a strangled yell and started tearing down the pictures.

"No!" she cried, unsuccessfully attempting to restrain him. "He'll know we were here!"

Puck leapt forward and wrestled him back, Finn and Mike running in to help with most of the club at their heels.

"He can't have these!" Will shouted, struggling to get free. "He doesn't deserve to see her!"

Rachel covered her mouth with her hand; a tearless sob breaking out as she watched Will thrash about.

"You're scaring Rachel!" Mike managed out.

Will froze immediately, his eyes flashing over to her. He shook the boys off, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning their foreheads together.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I just hate-"

Rachel cut him off, kissing him softly. "I know."

"Um, guys?"

Everyone turned to see Santana and Brittany in the doorway, the only ones who hadn't come up earlier when the shouting had started. Santana was holding a large black gun case open in her hands.

And it was empty.

**REVIEW AND I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER 3**


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh my God,"

The words that burst from Quinn's lips were barely noticeable as everyone at once realized that Jesse was much, much more dangerous than they had previously believed. Santana placed the case on the ground quickly, as though it was contaminated. Silence spread through the room as everyone was frozen in shock.

"I didn't…I never thought he would do this." The silence broke from Rachel, looking ashamed. "I should never have brought him to our school."

She looked at the floor, then back at her teammates. "I need to fix this."

She quickly left the room, hurrying down the stairs and out the door.

Will started, rushing after her and yelling "Go back home!" to the remaining Glee members.

Night was falling and he could see her shadowy figure in the darkness of the front lawn.

"Rachel! _Rachel!"_

She slowed to a stop but didn't turn around.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "This isn't your fault, Rach. Let's go back to my apartment, we can think of what to do."

She suddenly turned in his arms so she was facing him, her eyes wide with fear. "He'll always be one step ahead of us, Will! He knows we can't call the police; you'd be arrested, too. He has us cornered."Rachel took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. "This is my fault. I will fix it, I just need…I don't know! I need something to get him in trouble."

"Baby, just calm down. Listen to me. What we have…some people search for their whole lives. _This_, this is worth fighting for. We'll get through this together, okay?" Will assured her, tucking a strand of her behind her ear. "Let's go home,"

"My dads…I think they've noticed something's up. I've barely been around lately. They think I'm at Quinn's right now."

"Text them that you're sleeping over. I don't want to leave you alone for a second." He honestly didn't. Who knew where Jesse was, and what he would do to Rachel if he found her unprotected? Will shuddered at the thought.

She sent the message, and then took his hand. "Can we walk through the park first? Its right here and I just need to clear my head."

"Sure," he smiled gently, leading her into it.

The park was literally down the street from Jesse's house. Will tried not to imagine him bringing Rachel here, leading her through the cover of the trees…No. She wouldn't do that. It was as much her and Will's place as the playground was.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, taking in the scene around them. The stars sparkled beautifully in the dark sky; the full moon reflected on the shining waters of the pond, the lush green nature was around them. It was a perfect night, except, well, everything else. Will turned to Rachel, bringing her under a tall tree.

"Do you remember here?" he asked, smiling down at her. He took both her hands in his, gently squeezing them.

"Of course," she nodded, squeezing back. "It's where you told me you loved me for the first time. And I quote, 'I must be mental, but I think I'm in love with you'."

He laughed. "Well, you're mental for loving me."

She looked up at him softly but seriously. "I'm in love with an amazing, gorgeous, brave man who will always be there for me and take care of me. Is that so mental?"

"Oh, Rach…" he leaned down to kiss her, melting their bodies together.

"How sweet," a voice said sarcastically. "Remind me to write that line down."

Rachel gasped, cringing back against Will who hugged her protectively. _Shit. No, no, no, no, he couldn't have found us!_ Will thought in terror. Everything was good; there was a moment where he had forgotten all the bad things that had been happening. But, as always, _he _ruined it.

Jesse smiled at them both sinisterly, enjoying the fear in their expressions. "Miss me?"

"Just stay away from us!" Rachel cried out, her voice shaking. Will held her tighter, wishing he could hug all the fear away from her.

Jesse took a step closer to them. "I don't think so. See, I specifically remember me telling you to break up with him and _not get back together._ And since you didn't…well I guess Shuester's going behind bars after all."

"No!" she yelled, blanching. "No, Jesse, please, take me. You can rape me again, or make me quit Glee, anything you want."

"Be quiet, Rachel!" Will said through clenched teeth. "He can turn me in. At least he can't blackmail us anymore. Don't sacrifice yourself for me."

She looked up at him, terrified. "I'm not! I need you here; I need you with me, Will! It's selfish, but I don't care, I need you…"

Jesse's face twisted into an unreadable emotion. "Stop it! You're going to jail, and Rachel you're reputation will be ruined."

Rachel whimpered, and Will pulled her closer, noticing Jesse's scowl deepen as he did so.

Will stared at him, something clicking in his head. "Are you jealous, Jesse?"

He sneered. "Of what? Your mushy little speeches? Not a chance."

"Yes, you are." Will realized aloud. "You're jealous because Rachel loves me and not you. Because she chose me, despite everything that's wrong about our relationship. You wish that she loved you."

"Shut your mouth, Shuester." Jesse was so angry his voice quavered.

Will should have stopped, but the anger pulsing through his veins urged him on.

"She never acted this way when she with you, did she?" he continued. "She was never really into you, and you noticed. You aren't used to being second, are you, St. James? That's why you're so pissed that Rachel would love me instead. Well, you know what, Jesse? She'll always love me. No matter how badly you hurt her, or how long you put me in jail she'll always choose _me_."

"_Shut up_!" Jesse snarled.

He yanked the gun out of his pocket, aiming it at Rachel's forehead.

"Don't talk. To me. Like that." he hissed.

Will shut his mouth, fighting his every instinct to beat the living crap out of him. _No one _pointed a gun at his girl. But if he moved, there was no doubt in his mind Jesse would have any troubles shooting her.

"What, now you'll listen to me 'cause I have a gun?" Jesse smiled with an air of grim triumph. "And you're wrong. Rachel loves me more, she just doesn't realize it. She knows I'm so much better for her, and I'd be a better boyfriend."

"How did you even find us?" Will snapped, ignoring the jab.

Jesse's eyes narrowed. "I found your precious Glee club lurking around my property. Trying to spy on me, Will? Your car was still there; it wasn't hard to figure out where you were."

"Nice room," Will spat and Jesse's jaw tightened.

Rachel attempted to reach out to Jesse but Will warned her. "Rachel…"

"It's okay," she promised, and looked at Jesse. "Jesse," she whispered. "This isn't you. This isn't who you are. You aren't a murderer. We were friends once, remember?" She touched his cheek. "Please, Jesse, we can talk. Just…just put the gun down. Please."

His hand shook as he slowly lowered the gun to his side. Will breathed out a sigh of relief, and suddenly there were loud sirens and blinking red and blue lights. Four police cars screeched into the recently empty park, cops leaping out rapidly. Jesse's hand flashed back up in a second.

"_Who called the cops?_"

"I-I don't know," Rachel stammered.

Jesse roughly grabbed her arm. "Let's go, Rach, you're coming with me."

Will saw Jesse trying to take her away from him. Again. He couldn't let that happen; not again. He'd _promised _Rachel he wouldn't let him hurt her.

"Over my dead body," Will blurted out, stepping in front of him.

Jesse sneered, pointing the gun at Will. "If you insist."

"JESSE ST. JAMES, THIS IS THE OHIO STATE POLICE. YOU ARE SURROUNDED. PUT THE GUN DOWN ON THE GROUND AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD."

Jesse gaze shifted to the policemen and Will took his chance. He swung his fist as hard as he possibly could at Jesse's jaw. Jesse, startled, pulled the trigger on instinct, knocking Will to the ground.

"_WILL!_" Rachel screamed, dropping to her knees beside him.

She could hear the policemen yelling and someone shouted. "Fire!" Shots split through the air like thunder, all aimed at the person who had single handedly ruined Rachel's life in the past few weeks. The impact twisted him around, a look of shock on his face as his body collapsed, limp and lifeless.

Rachel covered her mouth with a horrified gasp as the corpse fell next to her. She held back vomit and focused on Will.

He was bleeding, and looked like he was in a lot of pain, but he was alive. He groaned, and she held his face.

"Will? Are you alright? Where were you hurt?"

"Shoulder," he muttered. "I'll be okay; are you okay? What happened?"

She gulped, hardly believing the words even as she said them. "They killed Jesse."

A policeman jogged up to them, the rest following shortly after him. An EMT got to Jesse and began CPR.

"I'm so sorry, miss," the policeman said frantically. "He shot that man, and it's in protocol to shoot down a suspect when they endanger a citizen…We didn't mean to kill him."

The EMT shook his head. "He's gone,"

Rachel's mind was going a million miles per hour; she couldn't comprehend what was happening. Will moaned again, and she snapped back to reality.

"My...Will needs help!" she cried. "He's shot; he needs to get to the hospital right away!"

The paramedics gently lifted him onto a stretcher and began to load him into an ambulance. She almost fainted, watching them carry his shaking body into the vehicle.

"Miss, you need to answer some questions." A cop touched her shoulder.

"Rachel," Will croaked, reaching for her.

"I have to answer some questions, okay?" she was trying not to break out sobbing. "I'll be there as soon as I can, baby, I promise,"

"My name is Officer Holland. Your names, miss?" The policeman asked.

"Rachel Berry and Will Shuester," she whispered.

"And how are you related?"

"He's my…my teacher." She saw his eyebrows furrow in confusion, no doubt he had noticed what was between them.

"Uh," Holland paused. "Alright. Do you know why Jesse was trying to kill you?"

"Yes," Rachel closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks. "Well, I think. He said he was jealous because I didn't love him- I love…someone else. And Will—I mean, Mr. Shuester—he was, um, he was-"

"Helping you like a good teacher would?" Holland supplied, giving her a small smile. It wasn't mean or threatening, but kind and knowing. "I'm guessing you told him your problem and he offered to escort you home safely, where Jesse found you."

She almost cried out in relief. "Yes. That's what happened."

He nodded. "Why don't I give you a lift to the hospital? You can answer the rest after you've a little time to process things."

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Who called 911?" She realized she had no idea how the police had been notified.

Holland shrugged. "There were a lot of voices on the line; it was hard to tell what they were even saying until I picked out 'Jesse St. James. Park. Gun.'"

She almost smiled and another tear leaked from her eye. "Glee."

"Who?"

"Quinn, Puck, Finn, Mike, Santana, Brittany, Matt, Tina, Artie, Mercedes and Kurt."

He nodded. "Sounds like you have some good friends."

"Yeah," she murmured. "I do."

WxR

"Where is he? Will he be okay?"

The doctor nodded. "He should be fine, there's just some minor surgery in his shoulder to remove the bullet. I think it's about done now, and you'll be able to see him in a few hours."

"_Hours?_" Rachel gasped.

"Hours." Said the doctor firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check on another patient,"

The door opened and Quinn and Puck ran in.

"Rachel!" Quinn exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

Puck put his arms around both of them, leaning his head on Quinn's. Rachel held them both close, squeezing her eyes shut. A hug felt really good right now.

Puck pulled away first. "What the hell happened back there? We were leaving when we saw Jesse follow you guys into the park—looking pissed as hell—so we called the cops."

Rachel wiped her eyes. "He came up to us with the gun and started mocking us. Then Will accused him of being jealous because I didn't love him so he almost shot Will! Then Jesse tried to kidnap me but the police came and Jesse shot Will and they shot Jesse and oh…it was so awful!"

Quinn gasped in horror. "Is Mr. Shue alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, he only got hit in the shoulder. But Jesse's _dead_, Quinn. He just died right there in front of me," Rachel's chin trembled, remembering the moment.

Quinn held her hand. "Everything will be okay, Rach. It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah," Puck agreed, rubbing Rachel's back. "I mean, he did deserve it. Is there anything you need, Rach? Coffee or a tissue box or something?"

"No, thank you, Puck." She whispered, sitting down. "I just can't believe this all just happened.

Rachel took a deep breath and looked up at them. "If I forget to say it later, thank you."

"We love you, Rachel," Quinn smiled. "And Mr. Shue. We'll always be here for you guys and we know you'll always be here for us."

"_Rachel?_ What the hell is going on here?" Leroy Berry entered the room, followed by Hiram.

Rachel stuttered, in shock to see them. "I-I…I'm perfectly fine, Daddy. Things are under control, now."

"Under control?" Hiram glared at her. "You were being harassed and you didn't tell us? What is the matter with you?"

She threw her arms around them. "I'm so, so sorry!" she cried. "I was just so scared. But we're all okay now, honestly." She pulled back.

Leroy smiled a tiny bit. "Rachel, never scare us like this again."

"I promise, Dad."

WxR

**Will's POV**

I woke up slowly, my shoulder feeling sore as hell. It felt better than it did when there was a bullet in it, though. I could remember everything so clearly; how long had it been? Hours? Days? Rachel said he was dead. Was he actually, or was that just a dream?

I glanced around my room and saw my beautiful Rachel sleeping in the chair next to the bed, her face tear-stained.

"Rach," I whispered. "Honey, wake up,"

She stirred and blinked a few times. "Will!"

I smiled weakly and her returning smile was wider than it had been in weeks. My heart lifted instantly, seeing her smile that way at me again.

"Lay here with me," I motioned to the bed.

She looked hesitant. "Are we allowed to do that?"

"Who cares?"

I sure as hell didn't. I just wanted to lay here with her for the rest of my life, holding her so tight that nothing could ever hurt her.

She giggled, and climbed up, resting her head on my good shoulder. She rested her hand over my heart and I knew she could feel its steady rhythm under her fingertips.

I turned my head, kissing her forehead. "I love you so much,"

"I love you, too."

We had been saying that a lot to each other recently. Some people think you run out of _I love you_'s; like they mean less every time you say it. I disagree. Every time I hear Rachel say that it felt even better. My heart would speed up, my body would warm, and I felt the luckiest guy in the world. It was the best feeling to hear those words from her.

"Will?"

"Yeah, baby?" She looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes.

"Is it really over?" She looked cautious to believe it; as if this was some dream and all of a sudden she would wake up and Jesse would be there once again to torture us.

"Yes." I told her. "It's really over."

Rachel snuggled in closer to me, kissing my neck a few times. My eyes closed in bliss at the feeling and I snaked my good arm around her, pulling her against me.

Everything was okay.

**One more chapter! It'll be an epilogue. Okay, I need your guys' opinion for it. I'm like a HUGE sap, so I can make the last chapter really mushy and all that (which I probably would do) or I can make it not so mushy. Up to you guys; let me know if you want me to tone down the sap!**

**Thanks for reading and REVIEW PLEASE!**

**-Leesh**


	8. Epilogue

**Here is the final chapter EVER of Blackmail! *tear* Enjoy, and prepare for the sap!**

**DISCLAIMER: If Ryan Murphy joined fanfiction under the name Aleeshaone, I think we'd all be a BIT worried.**

**In other words, I'm not Ryan Murphy.**

**Epilogue  
**Will was released from the hospital a week later, unscathed except for a small scar on his left shoulder. He had had to wear a brace for a few months, but everything healed up just fine. He hadn't even minded it; not with Rachel fussing over him all the time (which he enjoyed very much, though would never admit it).

The story going around Lima was that Jesse had followed Rachel on her walk in the park in a jealous rage, threatening to kill her unless she'd say she loved him. Then Will, who had seen Jesse following her on his drive home, trailed after them and attempted to protect Rachel, getting him shot. Someone in a nearby home heard the gunfire and called the police, who killed Jesse when he shot at them. The story fit perfectly with their plans to stay together, as no one suspected a thing. Lucky for them, that included her dads. And the Glee club didn't tell a soul, not even Santana, who grew to be friends with Rachel (though not the closest). Quinn and Rachel became best friends, to the shock of the school, and they were almost inseparable.

Rachel and Will continued their relationship all the way through senior year until, finally, it was Graduation Day. She was going to a college in NYC with a promising theatre program; she was already cast as the lead in their production of _Spring Awakening._ She still remembered the day she had told Will, a few months earlier.

WxR

"_Congratulations, Rach! I'm so proud of you." Will pulled her into a tight embrace and she hid her face in his chest._

"_Will?" She said quietly. _

"_Yeah, baby?"_

"_What's going to happen to us?" He looked at her, confused and she continued. "I mean, I'm going to New York and you'll be at McKinley and…will we still be together?"_

_Her chin trembled, so he kissed her chastely._

"_Of course we will. I've been meaning to tell you, Rach, I found a public school right outside the city to teach in. There's an apartment building that would be good for both our commutes and it's not too expensive…Why are you staring at me like that?"_

_Rachel breathed in deeply, straightening herself up and looking incredulous. "You can't just give up your life for me, Will! If you do, you'll just be unhappy and grow to hate me and-"_

"_Rachel!" She froze, her lips parted. "_Shut. Up._ I'm not giving up anything, I _want_ to be with you and so I'm going. I'm sorry, but you don't have a say in this."_

_For the first time, she was speechless._

_Will just smiled and touched her cheek._

WxR

The ceremony and party had ended hours earlier, and Rachel had said goodbye to all of her friends with lots of tears and hugging. Who could have known that Rachel Berry would have so many good friends by the end of high school?

Quinn was the last one she embraced, hugging the blonde tightly. "You better call me as soon as you get to the apartment!" Quinn demanded. Then she winked. "And tell me all about how you and Mr. Shue are getting along,"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You're coming to visit for Thanksgiving, right?"

"Of course!"

They said a final goodbye, and as Rachel turned to go to Will's car a voice called out.

"Hey, dwarf!"

She looked over her shoulder at Santana, who smiled a little.

"Good luck,"

Rachel grinned at her, knowing that was the closest she'd get to a heartfelt goodbye. She really was going to miss everyone, even Santana and Puck and…well, not Karofsky or Azimo.

At the moment, however— sitting in between Will's legs on the hood of his car, watching the sunset—she wasn't thinking about her friends. All she was thinking about were his lips, which tended to be very distracting when they were attached to hers.

He broke away suddenly. "Let's elope,"

Rachel laughed. "Yeah, right."

"No, really," He tightened his arms around her waist. "You're eighteen, I'm technically not your teacher anymore, and I love you. Let's go to Vegas. Tonight."

She looked up at him in bewilderment. "You just want to drop everything and get married?"

"Yes."

"You're crazy! How would we get there, where would we stay, we can't just leave without planning."

"I've got tickets my parents gave me last Christmas," he explained calmly. "There's a billion hotels we can stay at, and I have some money saved up. We both have rings- the promise ring I gave you and the one you gave me for our anniversary. _Please_, Rach."

She stared at him. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course!" he cried. There was nothing more in the world he wanted than to be with Rachel; he'd known that since they'd fallen in love.

"You are 100% insane." Rachel informed him. "But, that's one of the many things I love about you."

"Is that a yes?" he probed.

She shrugged playfully. "I don't recall you asking me anything."

He let his lips trail down her neck as he murmured against the skin. "Rachel Berry, would you…_please_…be my wife?"

"I suppose." Rachel smiled at him.

"I'll take it!"

She laughed hysterically as Will carried her back into the car over his shoulder, grinning like an idiot.

WxR

_Dear Dad and Daddy,_

_First of all, just let me say that I am coming back. For the summer at least, before I go to college. I'll only be gone for a few days because I'm eloping (and don't worry, I'm not pregnant). Can you believe it? I'm guessing you aren't as I excited as I am, though. I assure you, the man I'm marrying more than meets your standards. He's kind, gentle, mature, and he _loves_ me, Dad and Daddy. He really does. His name is Will Shuester. Yes, the same one who was my teacher. We have been dating for years; I couldn't tell for fear of what you'd say or what you'd do. I'm sorry for lying, but I'm not sorry for being with him. You two of all people should understand loving someone the world says you shouldn't. I hope you understand- I want us to stay close. Will wants me to tell you that he'll always take good care of me and that he loves me more than anything in the world. I believe him, and you should, too. I love you both, so much. I'll see you soon._

_Love your daughter,_

_Rachel Berry*_

_(soon to be Rachel Shuester)_

WxR

Rachel and Will stood next to each other, smiling so wide their cheeks hurt. Rachel was wearing a simple white, knee-length dress and a veil they had picked up on the drive over. Will was wearing his only tux, thankfully it still fit. They were at a place called Cupid's Chapel and though obviously not a real church, it legally married people and that's all that mattered. The priest, or whatever he was there, was not Elvis or anything like that. Rachel had insisted on an as normal ceremony as possible, which happened to be here with this Spanish guy. Will was completely okay with this, he didn't really want Elvis officiating the ceremony either (well, unless it was the real one).

"The couple has chosen to say their own vows," the man announced to the other waiting couples watching. He lowered his voice. "And remember, I don't do annulments."

"We aren't drunk." Rachel whispered back.

He just shrugged. "William, you may speak first."

Will turned to Rachel, holding both her hands tightly. "I'm not the best with words but here goes," He paused, terrified and ecstatic all at the same time. "I remember the first time I saw you. You were wearing a pink argyle sweater with a really short black skirt, and I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And starting on that day, I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you. I guess that's why it's called 'falling in love'. It was as easy as falling, and I couldn't stop it even when I tried. But I'm so happy," he added quickly, seeing her uncertainty. "That I didn't stop it! Rachel, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I was married once before, to a maniac who lied about carrying my child. It terrified me to love you, because I didn't want to have something like that happen again. Then, I realized that I felt stronger about you than I had about _anyone_ before, and I knew we would be okay. I didn't think it was possible to love someone this much. Rachel Berry, I love you, and I don't care that I was your teacher or about the age difference. I promise to love you, always be faithful to you, and to take care of you no matter what for the rest of our lives. _After_ our lives! I want to keep you…forever."

Rachel was crying by now, the tears of happiness freely falling down her cheeks. She wanted to just throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless, but she was pretty sure she had to wait until they were officially married. She smiled, wiping away the moisture on her cheeks and giggling at herself. Will smiled back, practically glowing with happiness.

"Rachel, your turn."

"How can I top that?" She squeezed his hands. "Will, I never thought I'd end up with you. It was an impossible crush. That's probably why I didn't recognize it at first. I liked Finn throughout freshmen year, and the beginning of my sophomore. I knew he was with Quinn, but I thought we had a chance. When I joined Glee, I saw how kind and funny and amazing you are, and suddenly Finn didn't look so good. I thought I was going crazy, so I tried to keep liking Finn. Then we sang _Endless Love_, and I went a bit overboard," He raised an eyebrow. "Okay, a lot! I didn't know how to act around you and after that embarrassing week, I tried to go back to Finn. And he dumped me, and somehow I ended up in your office, confessing that I cared about you much more than I should. At that moment, I thought I had made the worst decision in my life, but it turned out to be the best. When we first met, I was an annoying, controlling, insane but talented high school girl. You helped me be a better person, though parts of that girl is still here. I _still_ can't believe how lucky I am to have someone like you. I promise I will comfort you, and love you, and always be there for you, even if you just need someone to vent to. I promise I will never be like Terri was, and I will never lie to you. I love you with every single part of me, and I always will."

Will had tears in his face now, too, and he stared at the rings on their fingers with complete joy.

"William, do you take Rachel Berry to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

He refrained from yelling _Hell yes! _for her sake. "I do."

"Rachel, do you take William Shuester to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Yes! I mean, I do." She blushed a deep red and Will chuckled.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

She gasped a little as Will roughly grabbed her, dipped her, and kissed her so passionately she felt like she was just going to melt into a Rachel Berry-shaped puddle on the floor.

"NEXT!"

"You know what this means," He whispered in her ear as he carried her back down the aisle to the parking lot.

Rachel stroked his cheek. "What?"

"It means you're stuck with me _forever_." He grinned down at her.

"Good." And she pulled him down for one more kiss before they got into his car to start the rest of their lives; together.

_THE END_

**C'est finis! (It's finished!)**

**We're all sad, but if you wanna read some other great stories check out The Little Swan and Quinn in Wonderland by MissEllie! They're amazing **

**I enjoyed writing this so much; it was my first fanfic I ever published! Thank you SOOOOO much to everyone who reviewed:**

***Kdmr87**

***bwayfan**

***GGSVHM**

***ThatRainbirdGirl**

***BuffyAnne**

***Bani**

***BeckyFace**

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***AllyAM**

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***Ray08**

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***housefan1**

**And to my beta MissEllie! **

**If you read this but didn't review, thank you, but please review!**

**And to one of my best friends, Manasa, for helping me with this and putting up with me droning on about this story during class...You rock!**

**You all rule in the best way and I love each and every one of you! VIRTUAL HUGS ALL AROUND**

**AU REVOIR!**

**XOXO,**

**Leesh**


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